China moves 1 million ahead of typhoon Morakot

Hangzhou, Aug 9: Over 1 million people in eastern China were moved to safer places on Sunday, Aug 9 ahead of the arrival of typhoon Morakot accompanied by heavy rain.

The provincial flood-control headquarters said on Sunday, "More than 473,300 residents of Zhejiang have been relocated and some 35,440 ships called back from the sea."

Weather forecast by the provincial meteorological station said, "The typhoon was moving at a speed of up to 10 km per hour northwestward from the sea and is likely to land on the coast from Wenzhou in Zhejiang to Luoyuan in neighboring Fujian province by Sunday, Aug 9."

According to officials, more than 480,000 people have also been shifted to safer places in the coastal areas of the provinces. Officials also said that they are preparing to face a possible disaster from the season's first major typhoon.